8.30.2011

I've spent the last week creating the vignette, "The Inner Farmgirl", for my spot at Faded Elegance. I compose a theme for my booth and switch out my space every six weeks or so...it helps to focus my vision...and gives a totally new look on a regular basis...

Here are some glimpes of my inspiration...

I'm changing out my space on Thursday so look for more pictures by the weekend...and if you are in the neighborhood, make sure you stop in at Faded Elegance in Snohomish...

8.27.2011

As many of you know, I have a thing about metal...and rust...and intriguing shapes...put the three of them together and its my idea of heaven!

Cleaning up piles of stuff in the basement, I unearthed old individual metal upholstery springs...I remember that I picked them up thinking they would be the basis for a cool project...or they could just sit on a bookshelf or tabletop and look cool all on their own...but decided instead to make them into vases...

I gathered up supplies and tools...I had a great green painted board that I picked up at the ReStore for 30 cents...sanded off all of the rough edges before cutting it up as the base for each vase.

I had five individual springs...decided to make two single vases and one trio combination. After the bases were cut, I waxed each with Johnson's Paste Wax - its one of my favorite finishes, especially for wood - gives a nice smooth sheen.

Then I proceeded to attach each spring to its wood base...

I used poultry staples - galvanized metal and sturdy - perfect for this project.

The staples flare out at the ends...I use my lineman's pliers to compress the ends which makes it easier to hammer in straight. As you can see from the photo at left, I just hammered a staple into the wood, securing the bottom rung of the spring to the base.

I had a large stash of test tubes (I don't even know where some of this stuff comes from sometimes)...ideal for holding a single stem...I put three test tubes in each spring...they display the flowers at such jaunty angles...

Here's a close-up of how the bottom of the spring is attached to the wood...there's two staples in each base, one opposite the other.

The underside of the wood base was still fairly rough even after I sanded it so I attached rubber bumpers, one in each corner.

8.26.2011

Art speaks a language that knows no distance nor time. I am fortunate that I have connected with a few artistic souls that nudge me forward with my work.

Such was the phone call I received a couple of weeks from Jean Rill-Alberto. I met Jean when I participated in the New York Stationery Show in 2004...I was a newbie in the stationery world, playing in the big leagues...Jean had the booth next to mine, and as luck would have it, is also a collage artist. Jean is the artistic force behind With Heart/By Hand, where she creates intricate Asian-inspired collages that are featured on cards, in paperweights, on calendars, and mostly recently on necklace charms.

We haven't spoken often over the years...there's always the yearly holiday greetings...but its great to know that there is another artist on the other side of the country facing the same trials and tribulations as myself.

In our recent phone conversation, we covered the gambit from the recent Stationery Show (she went, I did not), to Etsy (she has a long time shop, I was just starting up mine) to Letterpress (yes, we both love this process but does it have to squeeze out all other options in the greeting card biz!)

8.24.2011

Alas, I did not sell everything in my booth at the Fresh Paint Art Festival over the weekend...but good news for those of you living far and wide...I have four of my original multi-media collages in my Etsy shop for sale...

the french artist - 2011

Don't forget that during this inaugural opening month of my Etsy shop, there is free shipping on every order...that's an $11.00 savings on claiming this original collage as your own! Just type in 811FREESHIP as the shipping code when you finish up your order.

I have more original collages and even a few junk necklaces that will be added in the coming weeks...hope you check it out soon...

8.22.2011

Fresh Paint Art Festival was this past weekend...and I am tired! Lots of art, fun, friends and sun! I sponsored a "make your own collage" table at my booth to demonstrate that art doesn't take any fancy tools or expensive materials...as you can see, there were many masterpieces created!

A big thanks to the staff and volunteers of the Schack Art Center for running a smooth event - and for keeping all the artists hydrated...there was a constant supply of bottled water which was welcome since we finally had two summer days in a row - all in all - warm, sunny, inspiring, beautiful!

8.20.2011

How many times have you seen something in a magazine or catalog and thought,"I can do that!" How many of you go beyond thinking and actually do it...

I remember seeing jars wrapped with chicken wire and thought to myself just that same thing....I can do that...and finally, I did...

Over the last several months, I've saved lots of straight-sided jars - from salsa, from olives, from pickles. I figured that straight-sided jars would be easier to work with since there would be no curves with which to contend. After I amassed quite a few, I went to work...

I had a small roll of chicken wire...most likely picked up at a yard sale...perfect patina - it had lost that bright gleam of new wire. I started with a length of wire that I wrapped around a jar to get a rough estimate of the circumference. I also rounded up my lineman's pliers and my needle-nose pliers (two of my favorite tools)...I knew they would both come in handy...

I started by snipping off the rough edges of the wire mesh (with the needle-nose pliers) so that everything was even and straight.

here's the completed length of wire - all ready to be wrapped around the jar...

After I wrapped the wire around the jar, I just bent back the overlapping wire strands and neatly twisted them in place to ensure a snug fit and to make sure no sharp stray strands were sticking out.

After using up all of the chicken wire, I still had naked jars...so I looked around...I still had some of the flexible aluminum corrugated metal that I used for my funky crowns...With my kitchen shears, a hole punch and a roll of jute twine, I was back in business.

I "corseted" each jar with a wrap of metal secured with twine...and then wrapped additional twine around the rim of the jar...the twine stayed in place thanks to the screw ridges.

I filled some jars with sand and a votive candle...another with flowers...some of them I hung on a rusty tire display...

What I love about this project is that it didn't take any expensive materials or elaborate instructions...just a bit of ingenuity...eco-living at its best...

8.19.2011

Its almost showtime...which means that me and 75+ other artists will be converging on the Everett Marina this weekend for Fresh Paint Festival of Artists at Work!Today I'm sharing the last teaser of new art collages I will have at my booth. I showed the initial groundwork with this series in this post...here are two of the completed collages...

Want to see the other three collages of the series...you'll have to visit me at the show -

8.17.2011

As is the case with most artists, you create what speaks to you... I have an affinity for the most basic of artist tools - a pencil, a paintbrush, a pair of scissors. And of course, if they are old, used and well-loved, all the better!

I created a series of multi-media collages for my Fresh Paint show that use old book covers for the collage foundation...the marbelized paper was so beautiful with just a hint of the leather binding on the edges. These three collages pay homage to artist tools ...

Select original collages will be for sale at my etsy shop after the Fresh Paint show...available after August 23...and don't forget - free shipping for the month of August....just input 811FREESHIP at the end of your order.

8.15.2011

The creative process can be a fickle friend...some days you can't get enough done to quiet the idea buzz in your head...other days, its all too silent. I thought I would share with you how my latest crop of collages came to be...

I start by looking through my piles of scrap and see what jumps out...as I mentioned in my previous post, I have a huge hoard of old photos to start the process...I pulled out the ones that were telling a story (perhaps one that I could only hear!) and then made piles of scraps & tidbits for each photo. I prepped all of the scraps, knowing that the editing would come later.

Next, I did a rough composition of each collage, whittling down the scraps and choosing a color palette. For this latest series of collages, I used 1x10x6 pine boards, cut down into smaller sizes of approximately 10" x 10". I like using inexpensive materials for my base...with a solid wood foundation, I can hammer/screw into the wood to attach my found objects and the thickness of the board gives a nice finished edge when painted.

Here's the progression of two different collages...

I left a part of the pine board unpainted so that you could see the grain...thought it fit nicely with the theme. I found a companion photo to my original choice...gives a more cohesive flow with the matching pair.

It's hard to tell from my photo, but the three circles on the upper right side are three small lightbulbs from the stash I recently picked up...the red type came from a solicitation envelope that arrived in the mail...you never know where inspiration will be found! You'll notice that the arrangement changed quite a bit from the beginning to the end...the navy blue paint made me rethink the balance...

8.12.2011

If you live anywhere in the Puget Sound area, you really should mark Fresh Paint Art Festival on your calendar...its a wonderful outdoor art show at the Everett Marina...Saturday & Sunday, August 20 & 21 from 10 am to 5 pm each day. This is my third year at this show...what I love about it is the interaction with the public...each artist must demonstrate some aspect of their work as a condition of being in the show. I sponsor a "Make Your Own Collage" table where individuals can make mini-collages with cardboard, scrap paper and glue...demonstrating that it doesn't take fancy supplies, expensive tools or an art background to be creative - you just have to jump in and do it!

Starting today, I'll be previewing some of the new work I will have at my booth...I'm at Booth 13 along the marina promenade...stop by and say hello...and make a collage!

"Voyage to Italy" 2011

My inspiration for these collages was a huge boxful of old photos from a friend of the Southern Man...she thought they were family photos, but she recognizes no one in any of the pics...so she gave them to me, thinking I could make use of them...

"La Bonne Vie" 2011

As I mentioned, I'll be posting new work up until the show on Saturday August 20. If you can't make it to the show and see something you must have, email me - we'll work something out!

8.10.2011

My young friend Anna returned from her semester abroad in Perth, Australia in late June...I finally had a chance to catch up with her (and her mom, my friend Sue) last week...sharing her photos and more details of her excursions...I highlighted her blog back in February - it was her journal of her life down under...truly, I learned more about Australia than I ever knew from reading her blog!

She brought me two presents - a vintage book on Australian gardening and a large shell from the beach...

The book is wonderful with its gorgeous type, beautiful illustrations and well-worn pages...

but it was the shell I swooned over...

I believe it is a conch shell...the colors & hues are exquisite...I tried to capture the detail but the photos don't do it justice. I have known Anna all of her life and obviously I have made an impression...she brought me back the perfect present...it has a place of pride among my vintage clocks, old books and gnarled twig balls. Proof positive that the best gifts can not be bought...they are from the heart.

visit my etsy shop

follow by email

subscribe

follow four corners design on facebook

honored to have my home featured

get the "behind the scenes story" here

instagram shots...inspiration in a square...

the fine print

all rights reserved. please do not reproduce, use or copy my images, photos, artwork or text without my express permission. email inquiries to amy_duncan@yahoo.com.
creating art is not an easy process - thanks for giving the artist the respect they deserve.